Raising the Final Curtain
by MrsDarcy14
Summary: The season 9 finale from everyone point of views. Abby and Gibbs, Ziva and Tony, McGee and Dorneget, and Ducky in their respective places. Not too different from the show, just how I think the aftermath would have played out. Each short is reflective of their own characters. Slight warnings for Tiva, is all the character but only tagged Gibbs because it starts with him. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first story in awhile, but I am very committed to it. I will most likely be posting a new chapter everyday because it will be a little bit shorter than I'd like. Each chapter will be from a different view point, or maybe two people who were together in the end of the season 9 finale episode. **

**Without further adu, please enjoy! Thank you!**

Sirens. That is the first thing she heard when she awoke.

They were…far away. Maybe approaching? The dark haired woman could not tell because anything she tried to think was drowned out by the incessant _ringing. _The ringing was everywhere. She couldn't…couldn't…ouch.

Abby lifted herself off of the floor slowly, the walls and floor were ringing with pain and she was disoriented. Glass cascaded off her back and slapped the floor with a light rasping as her ears struggled to pick up the sound.

Remembering the bombing, she looked around her lab. Everything lay in ruins. Her beloved equipment; the computer, the blood sample tester, even Bart, her hippo, had been affected by this act of madness. But she had not been alone. Just moments before the blast went off, Gibbs had come running in to keep her safe, just like always. Gibbs. Her heart raced as she blinked away her thoughts in order to search for him. He had been blown by the blast a few feet behind her, nearly under the desk she kept at the back of her room.

"Gibbs!" Abby choked out. Her throat was clogged with residue so she crawled over to his limp form instead. If he wasn't ok….but she didn't want to think of that outcome just yet. He was Gibbs, he would be…fine.

Just then, Gibbs rolled over to face her as he coughed and struggled to move much. "Gibbs! You're alive! You're ok! I was so worried."

"Ouch! Abbs." Gibbs mumbled as she launched herself into a Gibbs hug. "Oh! Sorry, sorry." He placed his hands around her face and searched her eyes to make sure she was ok. Abby was fine except for a few cuts here and there, nothing that couldn't heal in good time.

"Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed as she looked at his arm. "That looks…deep." Abby's eyebrows pulled down into concern as she realized that he was injured. The cut ran along his forearm and ended at his elbow; probably an inch deep. The windows had shattered in all directions and glass blasted the entire room; he was lucky it hadn't hit a more vital place.

He shrugged it off and ripped the bottom of his shirt off to tie around his elbow, efficiently stopping the blood flow from being too life threatening. Abby stood up and tip toed carefully to the windows. "Hey!" she yelled, waving her arms out the hole. "Help is needed down here! Gibbs was hurt."

The smoke hadn't cleared from the bomb yet, but she could tell that chaos ensure outside the building. People ran; screaming names and other messages to carry hope to safety. She noticed a shoe laying sideways three feet from the window's entrance. It was a black high heeled pump. Not five minutes ago it was safely carrying someone through their day, someone who had an important job here at NCIS, and someone who had family somewhere Abby presumed, people who loved and cared about what happened to that woman. She remembered her own family and turned back to Gibbs, but when she did he wasn't there.

"Gibbs?" Abby yelled through the wreckage of her lab. Although she knew he went to find her family, she selfishly wished he had stayed with her a little bit longer.

She drew her arms around herself in an embrace, and quietly whispered to her violated home, "Bring them back safe, Gibbs."

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Gibbs was thrown on his back during the explosion and remembered every instant of it. His feet ran down the hall as he screamed. "Abby? Abby, GET DOWN." and grabbed her to the floor, just as the windows had been smashed forward with the force of a train. Whatever bomb he had left Stratton with had a lot more force than he had originally thought. And he had apparently failed at disarming it.

Brushing that aside, he rolled over to see how Abby was. He didn't recall her being that far away, but she was quickly crawling toward him, saying something. But he couldn't hear anything but a fading ringing in his ears. Her mouth moved to form…something. It took him a moment to realize that it was his name she was calling. She launched herself onto him in an embrace, but a shot of pain went through his left arm when it flung out to catch himself from falling over. "Ouch! Abbs." He spoke more as two separate statements than as blaming her. The glass from the windows was everywhere, and a pang of sorrow struck him as he surveyed his daughter figure's home base.

Her entire life consisted of basically everything in this room. On some nights when cases ran particularly long, he would find her sleeping on the floor by her machines that she called 'babies'. Her love for the job ran so deep it was in her blood, and after he lost Shannon and Kelley, she was one of the few women he let in as a family member.

Once ensuring that she was alright, Gibbs watched Abby yell out the window to someone he couldn't see. Too many noises outside were confusing him, and he wondered how she managed to see someone let alone talk to them. Something in his gut was pulling him out of the room, but he had to make sure he wouldn't bleed to death by leaving. His shirt had been torn in the crash, so he ripped it at the bottom seam and fashioned something to hold the blood in his arm that way.

Casting one last glance back at Abby, he walked into the ruined building in search of the rest of their family. Gibbs felt bad about leaving Abby, but she was tough and would be alright. He was a man of little words, so he simply turned and kept perusing the pull in his gut to find the rest of his team and bring them back safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, this was ridiculously HARD to write. The finale of this episode was tough to watch because everyone loves those characters so much. This chapter is from McGee's point of view, so enjoy!**

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McGee should have expected the blow before it happened. That was his job, and not once in all of the years that he worked at NCIS would he have expected an attack of this scale to rock, literally, the foundation of the organization.

Dorneget had been standing next to McGee when the windows crashed inwards, like the wave of a tsunami attacking. There were other people, but they had managed to cross the battle zone just in time. Four probation officers were standing up now, covered in small bits of rubble and glass. Two were injured; one cut on a woman's head, and the other was grasping their shoulder in pain. Other than that, they were mostly unharmed.

"Are you all ok?" McGee called over. Once they nodded, he yelled for them to get outside in case of a second attack, and to not trust anyone that they did not know. Unless that had been in the NCIS office before, they were a potential enemy. McGee always thought two steps ahead to keep people safe.

It was then that he remembered he was standing in the pit. His desk had been mostly unharmed, but one of his computer monitors had shattered in place, creating a spider web of glass remaining. The pictures he hung behind his desk were safe; one of him and his grandmother when he was ten, a shot of Tony and Ziva with Abby in her lab, and a candid shot of Gibbs that he idolized when no one was looking. Tony's desk was completely overturned by the blast, and everything was on the ground. McGee figured it wasn't worth it to start cleaning, seeing as he needed to make sure everyone on his team had made it out alive.

The last thing he remembered was Tony and Ziva running down the hall to gather up the rest of the workers to leave, so he had to assume they had made it out with the group. Gibbs had…McGee had to scratch his head and think for a moment, the ringing in his ears was so hard to ignore and think through. Gibbs had gone to get Abby, he thought after a few seconds. His heart lurched in his chest as he prayed they made it out in time.

McGee had never been a religious man. Seeing things on this job made you realize that even if someone was out there watching over humanity, they had either given up long by now or decided to not intervene. But now…he closed his eyes and bowed his head, telling whoever was up there that they better make sure his team was alive. They meant more than anything to him, and losing anyone would shift it so balance could never be restored.

A few minutes later, he began to remember something.

He had not been standing alone when the bomb went off. Someone was there that hadn't left with the other probationals, someone who wasn't on the official team…

Dorneget.

McGee sprang into action. He called out his name, shifted wreckage around, and scanned every inch of ground that he could see. But nothing was turning up. "C'mon, Dorneget, please be here…" he repeated to himself over and over. Ten minutes later, something appeared on the ground.

It was Dorneget's watch, one that he had been showing Tim just earlier that day.

"But look at how it shines in the sun, Tim. I mean this is _quality." _Dorneget bragged as he twisted his wrist around to different angles. Ziva was laughing softly, and Tony, McGee, and Dorneget all had their arms out comparing time pieces. There was a lapse in the case, and everyone was waiting on results from Abby from down in the lab.

"Alright, fine probbie. You have the best watch. But how did you afford that on the meager salary you earn?" Tony spoke while giving him an inquisiting eye. The two had been at it all day, and this was the first battle won by Dorneget, and he was proud.

"I inherited it. My grandfather decided it was time I had a watch I could be proud of." He replied, swelling up with happiness.

"Ha! Then it doesn't count. Rules say inheritance doesn't work." Tony pointed to his watch piece and said, "This baby was paid for by a hard working man." And danced back into his chair, leaving Dorneget standing with an open jaw.

McGee rolled his eyes and said, "Tony just gets sore about losing. Dorneget, that is a very fine watch and you win this round." The younger officer smiled and said, "Thanks, Tim. That means a lot. Tony…well, you kinda suck," and then bolted away before anyone could say anything else. Ziva had her hands on her desk laughing, and McGee was covering his face with his hands. Tony sat there staring at his team mates, jokingly offended.

Gibbs had returned then, bringing them back into the case with one cold glare to focus their attention.

As McGee cleared his head of the earlier memory, he shoved aside one more piece of wall that had fallen. The floor had a huge amount of blood on it, spread out by the glass and bits of rubble. But there, lying beneath the structure, was an unmoving Dorneget.

"No! Dorneget, help, someone help!" Tim shouted to anyone who could hear. His hands were shaking softly as he cleared the rest of his body off and listened for breathing. It was there, but shallow; very shallow and fading fast. As he looked down to the windows, he saw the reason for all the blood; a chunk of glass was lodged into Dorneget's upper thigh, hitting where a main artery would be. His eyes fluttered slightly, and then he looked up at Tim.

"Tim…' he croaked, having no energy left. Tim shushed him and told him to stay with him, help was on the way. "No…it's not coming, is it?" He coughed once, sending a shiver through his body. Tim looked on helplessly at the taller man; he didn't think there was much he could do to save him. So he tried to make him more comfortable by clearing rubble away from him, and propping his head up on a seat of a chair that had broken off.

"I…I think this is it, isn't it? I can feel it. But I'm not, I'm not scared." Dorneget spoke while Tim helped him. McGee's eyes were rapidly filling with tears the more the other man spoke. If Dorneget wasn't scared, Tim sure as hell was. He was not going to lose someone to Dearing, to let him know that he had any victory in this awful day.

"God _dammit _no Dorneget you will not die!" and then he looked into his eyes and saw how terrified he was of this ultimatum. A final sentence of a book. The final curtain of a play.

But deep down he knew he wouldn't last another few minutes, so Tim leaned down and asked him if he wanted to tell anyone anything to console them.

Dorneget thought, then said, "I want the team to know how influential they were to me. I mean, they weren't really my team, but I secretly thought of them like that. Tony was like an annoying big brother, Ziva was a kick ass girl, and you were my role model. Always knew how to treat people right. And even Gibbs I'll miss. His stony glare means he cares, Tim. I know he loves all of you. Tell Abby I'm sorry…my mom will know what to do with my stuff, and…I guess that's it." He looked up to McGee's face for consolation, but the older man had started crying. His eyes were flowing over with tears, and he gave Ned Dorneget one final goodbye. "You will be so missed here, Ned. You would have made the best agent." And with that, Dorneget turned his head, and closed his eyes forever on the world around him.

McGee stayed crouched down for a few moments while he wept for his friend. While the team made fun of Dorneget, he would truly be missed. Even Gibbs had been caught smiling once at the man's stumbling awkwardness around people. It was part of his charm.

Tim stood up and walked away then, knowing that if he stayed too close he would never get over the fact his friend had just died. He had been _murdered. _Dearing had something coming for him.

A commotion from the stairwell caused Tim to pick up his gun and slowly walk over. "Hello?" he called out cautiously, not sure if the intruder was friend or foe. The door flew open, being kicked by none other than Leroy Gethro Gibbs. "Oh, thank God…" McGee yelled out in part for himself, and also to alert Gibbs of his presence.

Gibbs looked up and locked eyes with his team mate, immediately noticing something was wrong. McGee said just one name, and it shocked Gibbs. "Dorneget…he's…" and the team leader nodded. He wasn't at all stable with this idea, but decided he would morn later in the safety of his basement.

The two continued on, keeping an eye out for Tony and Ziva, when they suddenly heard yelling from down a hallway. "Boss," McGee looked over with wide eyes, "That's Ziva. I thought they got out." Both Tim and Gibbs broke into a run to follow the voices.

Hopefully, the rest of the team would make it out ok. Only so much can wear down upon a soul before it drags itself down.

For the second time that day, Tim surprised himself by praying to a God he barely believed in.

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**Haha be honest if you cried. Because the whole time I wrote this I listened to 'This Home' by Cinematic Orchestra, and good lord I had to stop a few times to collect myself. Actual tears were falling. And I know that it's not how it will probably turn out, but we all know that this show is never picture perfect, and dealing with death is one part of their job. **

**Thanks and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok. So this chapter will be short, but for a reason. I listened to In My Veins by Andrew Belle while writing, just to, you know, tear my heart out even more. Please review guys, I have no idea how I'm doing.**

**Thanks! Don't cry too much…**

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One second, there was an explosion. Then an intense flash of pain. Then…nothing. It was bliss.

Dorneget felt like he was floating on a cloud. But that wasn't right; something important was happening. He needed to remember, so he tried to shake his head to clear it, but found out he was covered in bits of wall that had fallen during the blast.

Oh my _God_, he thought as he totally remembered what had happened. The bomb, and Dearing, and- his train of thought was jarred what something shifted over his leg and he nearly choked on the pain that threatened to uprise. Something huge was logged in his thigh, and he couldn't even more to see what it was. He could lift his hand, though, and cleared some rubble away his face.

He looked at his wrist for a moment, thinking. His watch was gone, must have been thrown in the explosion he guessed, because it wasn't like him to lose an item of sentimental value.

With shaking hands, Dorneget tried to move himself to an upright position, but a swaying sensation swept through his head, and he knew then that he might never move from this position again. Too many emotions overwhelmed him, but surprisingly fear wasn't one of them. Sure, he acknowledged the fact that he might be dying, but no man ever wants to know the end is near.

Faces swam into his vision, bleeding in from his memory to confuse the past with the present. A beautiful spectrum of life was displayed before him, and he was proud to see that he was not a waste on this earth.

Most people go through life with one purpose; a goal of sorts. Some want to develop relationships in love so that they will never be alone again. Others seek revenge for a wrong that was committed against them or someone they loved long ago. Dorneget was simply trying to not be forgotten. His life now meant everything to him. NCIS had become a sanctuary in the few short months he had been employed there.

"No! Dorneget, help, someone help!" someone yelled, drawing him out of his memories and into the present. The stabbing pain in his leg was suddenly very sharp, and he was aware of everything around him. The colors overwhelmed each of his senses, as if his brain were trying to use every one of its last resources of the color spectrum.

Tim McGee's face became visible in front of Dorneget's eyes; his one true friend here at NCIS. Sure, he liked the others here, but Tony was kind of an ass hat and bribed him with cake a lot. And Ziva secretly scared him…not that he would ever admit that.

McGee said something about help…that it was on the way. "No…it's not coming, is it?" Dorneget replied around a cough that fought its way up his body. Tim tried to move the rubble around his body and put something soft under Dorneget's head. Having a sudden wave of strength, he spoke out loud his thoughts. "I…I think this is it, isn't it? I can feel it. But I'm not, I'm not scared." Lies. All lies. Now that he had said those words he was terrified. All the colors the world had provided has ever so slowly started to fade out.

Tim yelled something…but Dorneget was trying to prepare a last speech for himself and didn't really listen. Finally content, he told McGee, "I want the team to know how influential they were to me. I mean, they weren't really my team, but I secretly thought of them like that. Tony was like an annoying big brother, Ziva was a kick ass girl, and you were my role model. Always knew how to treat people right. And even Gibbs I'll miss. His stony glare means he cares, Tim. I know he loves all of you. Tell Abby I'm sorry…my mom will know what to do with my stuff, and…I guess that's it." After saying this, his eye sight was continually fading away from color to something no living soul could describe.

Tim McGee's final words to his friend were, "You will be so missed here, Ned. You would have made the best agent." Dorneget smiled, and turned his head away and closed his eyes to embrace the eternal sleep.

You know, some folks say that when you die, you should follow the white light to lead to you to wherever you believe life goes after you die. But the white is a lie; white is the color that is produced when all the colors of the world are mixed together, believe it or not. Dorneget's eyes registered so many colors just to be white washed into seeing his beliefs.

When he closed his eyes, his mouth turned to a smile, because he knew that one day, he would see his friends once again. No story should end with the final page.

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**This one was...harsh to write. Please, PLEASE review to let me know how I'm doing. I love writing this, but have zero feedback. But thank you to each and every one of you who reads. Love you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright everyone! Here is Ziva's chapter. Now remember, she is stuck in the elevator with Tony. **

**On a side note...please, PLEASE review you guys. I'm not a person looking for a high count, I just honestly can't get a gauge on how people are reacting to it. So thank you to all who do review, and I love everyone who reads this. **

**:D**

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The elevator creaked again precariously, and Ziva, for what felt like the hundredth time, prayed that the metal death box would not send her plummeting to her death. For the past forty minutes, she had worn out her voice by yelling and screaming for someone, anyone, to come save her and Tony from the broken elevator. The ache in her body from being thrown into her coworker, slammed against the floor, and hitting it again once the elevator caught in the shaft was starting to wear on her. Her head ached, her vision was blurry in the dark, and her heart was so worried about Tony she couldn't stand it.

When the elevator had dropped, it only fell a few feet before catching on the emergency cables and snapping back to a stable position. In the fall though, Ziva had launched herself at Tony; in part to protect him, and in part because she felt safe near him. But Tony had been thrown back against the wall and his head had smashed against the cold metal, drawing him into an unconscious sleep. Bits of ceiling had fallen on top of the two, some blocking the door and their only chance to escape.

Ziva kicked most of the rubble away from her and Tony's bodies in order to lay him out in a straight line. "Tony, wake up. This is not a funny time to pull a prank." She lightly slapped his cheek a few times to wake him, but he was out cold. "Tony…please. I need you."

Ziva slumped against the wall out of desperation as she took in her situation.

It was dark; very dark inside the elevator. Why hadn't they taken the stairs? That is always the smart option in an emergency situation. Luckily they had gotten everyone out of the building. She ran through a list of her team over and over, praying that they had made it out to safety before the bomb had exploded the building.

Tony. Gibbs. McGee. Abby. Ducky. Palmer. Director Vance. Dorneget. Tony, Gibbs, McGee, Abby….Tony.

Her mind wandered back to him. Just like it always did. It was one of the good things to come from her Musad training that she was able to hold such a winning poker face around him, although she was a terrible liar. The only person she lied to about her feelings for Tony was herself. If he did not make it out of this alive, she would never forgive herself. Protecting people, that was her job. And who was she if not for excelling at her job?

Many things had become clear in the past year alone to her. With Palmer getting married, Ducky having a new flame (before she turned out to be a murdering psychopath), and Tony seeing his ex-fiancé, her mindset about how she could live her life had slowly started to ebb into something new. Of course she would always put NCIS first, but maybe, just maybe, if things could work out differently, she would consider a life other than the path she currently followed.

Seeing Wendy had been a shock. She had expected to hate the woman. After all, she was the one that had tamed the famous lady killer DiNozzo. Wendy was slight, not built like Ziva was; tall, lean, but muscular and ready for combat. A reporter…Ziva wondered what life was like as a reporter. It could not be too interesting; you chase down and annoy people to no end just to receive the latest breaking news. Or that was at least how she saw it. It was important, none the less. But instead of the fiery passion she expected, she had gone so far as to _like_ Wendy. She was charming, funny, and had a fierce drive that Ziva admired and respected. More often than not, the two found themselves laughing at something in the case and getting along like good friends. Which made it hard when she thought of the man she used to love.

Tony stirred then, jarring her out of her thoughts. "Tony?" she whispered to the man. "Get up, you lazy, insufferable…" her words were cut off by a choked laugh as Tony pulled himself upright.

"Jeez, princess, if I wanted a Tony convention, I don't think you're the one I would have called."

"Oh, Tony!" With that Ziva wrapped her arms around her coworker in a rare expression of compassion. He hesitated for a moment, and then embraced her tightly, his heart racing at the close contact. Suddenly Ziva pulled back, and stood to investigate their calamity further.

"Well, it looks like the door is not going to be an escape option, we are stuck between floors and crawling won't work. I suppose the ceiling hatch could be a way out, but getting up would be a problem, and I don't want to injure your head any further…" "Ziva…" Tony spoke in a small voice, trying to pull her attention from escape. "I could kick the walls I guess." "Ziva, come on…" "No, listen to me; I think I could do this." "Ziva, will you stop for one second?" Ziva froze, and turned around slowly to face Tony who still lay on the floor, propped up on one elbow.

Her eyes swept over him lazily. She had seen him hundreds of times, and felt affection and longing over and over for her friend and coworker. There had been a time she thought he felt it too, but he would always return the next day bragging about the next woman he had seduced into bed.

"Ziv…come here." He begged. "Are you alright? You hit your head pretty hard." She spoke as she walked over and knelt by him, carefully checking the back of his head with her hand. It felt like a welt was forming, and should have been painful. But his eyes didn't speak of pain. They held a different emotion entirely…

Tony kept eye contact as he lightly grasped her wrist and brought it down to his cheek. Ziva's heart was racing. Maybe, after all these years of waiting…. He looked at her again, "Ziva…have I ever told you, how beautiful you are?" A breath caught in her throat. This had to be the injury speaking, not Tony.

"I think I've watched you every day at your desk and wondered how you can keep so calm, don't deny it" he said when she opened her mouth to protest," I know you feel this too. Just once, I want to know what it feels like, to, to k-" but he was cut off by the force of her mouth closing over his.

Ziva had no idea what she was doing. Sure, she had dated and kissed plenty of times before. But this was different. This was Tony. _Tony. _She felt like a child again, just learning how to jump from a cliff and embrace the rush in her stomach before hitting the water instead of fearing it.

They moved slowly together, a fire burning that was too far engulfing to be extinguished. Time seemed meaningless and the seconds ticked by. She finally noticed his hand was grasping her hair pulling her even closer as they kissed.

When she drew back, Tony's eyes only spoke shades of happiness; joy radiated off his face. She cupped his face with her hand, "I think you better get your head checked out, Dinozzo, you are doing crazy things."

"No." he spoke with certainty. "This is one of the most sane things I have ever done." And once again, Ziva succumbed into Tony when he drew her in to kiss her again.

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**;D**

**Ya'll didn't see that coming, did you?**


	5. Update

**Hey guys! So this is not an update to the story, sorry.**

**I wanted to let you know that I will be leaving tomorrow for a two week trip to England, so I will not be able to publish new chapters while I'm gone. I promise when I get back I can put up the new chapters one a day until I am done. Obviously this isn't going to be a three or four chapter story anymore, haha.**

**Thank you all for your love and support and I hope you have a great two weeks! I'll let you know as soon as I'm back!**


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